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| Americans Say 75 Percent of Politicians Are Corrupt, 70 Percent Use Political Power to Hurt Enemies |
| 2014-04-04 |
| [REASON] Americans don't paint a pretty picture of their public servants in the new national Reason-Rupe poll. Americans tell Reason-Rupe that 75 percent of all politicians are "corrupted" by campaign donations and lobbyists. And they say 70 percent of politicians use their political power to help their friends and hurt their enemies. No wonder just 17 percent approve of the job Congress is doing. Or that President Obama's approval rating is just 43 percent, with 51 percent disapproving. And while the Supreme Court just struck down limits on campaign contributions to federal candidates, the new Reason-Rupe poll finds Americans are actually more concerned about how elected officials misuse their power and taxpayer money once they're in office than they are worried about campaign contributions. Asked, which is a "more serious" problem -- "special interest groups spending private money on campaigns to elect the politicians they favor" or "elected officials enacting policies and spending taxpayer money that benefit the special interests they favor" -- 63 percent of Americans said officials enacting policies and spending taxpayer money for special interests was a more serious problem. Similarly, Americans say they are "more bothered" by politicians abusing political power than they are by some of the personal issues most often associated with political downfalls. Seventy percent of Americans say they would be "most bothered" by a politician who used his or her political power to bully someone, while 14 percent would be most bothered by a politician using drugs, and 11 percent would be most bothered by a politician who cheated on his/her spouse. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 The real problem in American politics is that too many think its the other guys congressman that's corrupt but their own is uncorruptable. Or that they don't care as long as the Congress-critter brings the bacon back to his district. P.J O'Rourke was right, a Parliament of Whores. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2014-04-04 14:50 |
| #7 Time to straighten out some of the terms used by the government propaganda machine. Federal Debt. No. Should read Debt Held by the Public. If the Obama, MSM, Lame Stream Media, whatever the propaganda machine is called actually called government debt "Debt Held by the Public", people would wake up, a least a little bit. |
| Posted by: Bubba Graiting8281 2014-04-04 13:28 |
| #6 Actually, there's some truth to your observation. Too many have already sold their souls to politicians not understanding that the 'game' is inherently corrupt, not to be confused with others who willing sale their souls for thirty pieces of silver offered by too many politicians. |
| Posted by: Procopiu2k 2014-04-04 10:03 |
| #5 I was just funning, P2K. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-04-04 09:45 |
| #4 Not really. Most Americans grew up as the post WWII generation. A lot of those who went off to that war saw a lot and did a lot which would motivate enough decent men to go into public office and committed to public service giving it a veneer of legitimacy. It lulled a generation in thinking 'it's always been this way' when in fact it was an anomaly. Forgotten in that passing was the warning imbued in the original Constitution, never allow the concentration of power because men are fundamentally corrupt. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-04-04 08:44 |
| #3 Americans are such Pollyannas! |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-04-04 05:01 |
| #2 The 75 percent figure sounds a bit charitable. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-04-04 04:57 |
| #1 It will be Americans = Amerikans whom ultimately will be the ones to give up SOVEREIGN AMER TERRITORY(S) in the name of OWG + Globalism. I've been telling Guam locals that what is happening in the Ukraine-Crimea can easily take place also in our part of the world. WHETHER A GUAM LOCAL IS PRO-STATEHOOD, PRO-INDEPENDENCE, OR EVEN PRO-FREE ASSOCIATION OR STATUS QUO WE MAY A-L--L LOSE IN THE END IRREGARDLESS OF THE MERITS. E.G. TOPIX, YAHOO NEWS > US WARNS CHINA NOT TO COMMIT CRIMEA-STYLE ACTION IN ASIA. * RELATED TOPIX > [SCMP] NEIGHBORS FEAR CHINA WILL COPY RUSSIA'S ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA, US AIDE SAYS. US Assistant SecState Daniel Russell. * RELATED WORLD NEWS > UKRAINE WILL NOT PREVAIL IN UN CASE ON CRIMEA - RUSSIAN OFFICIAL. CHINA is saying similar vee the PHIL + UN-LED Arbitration in the latest SCS brouhaha. * FYI DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [ECFR.EU] CHINA ANALYSIS: THE END OF NON-INTERFERENCE. IOW, NO MORE "COLD WARS" - NOT VEE US-VS-RUSSIA + ESPEC NOT VEE US-VS-CHINA IN EAST ASIA-PACIFIC. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-04-04 01:53 |